When Marlena Evans walks into Rachel Black’s therapy room, viewers know right away: a storm of memories is about to hit Salem.

Rachel – the small, innocent girl with clear eyes – is the one holding the secret that will shake the whole town.

And that secret may revolve around a shooting that killed her uncle, EJ DiMera.

Rachel claims she “remembers nothing” – a seemingly harmless statement, but Marlena doesn’t believe it.

With decades of experience in psychotherapy, she recognizes a clear sign: Rachel is being hypnotized by her own fear. The girl hasn’t forgotten – she’s just chosen not to remember to protect herself from a terrifying memory.

The scene was considered the “most psychologically intense of the week”: Marlena asked softly, “Rachel, if you don’t remember… why did your hand shake when I mentioned EJ’s name?” The atmosphere was silent. Rachel bowed her head, tears falling on the table, then exclaimed: “I don’t want to see him hurt anymore.” A short sentence but enough to make Marlena realize: the memory is still intact – it’s just that Rachel doesn’t dare to touch it.

While Marlena tried to reveal the truth, Sarah Horton – Rachel’s mother – stood on the opposite side. She was afraid that if her daughter remembered, the whole Kiriakis family would be destroyed. So, Sarah tried to “protect” her by… continuing to lie. A confrontation between mother and psychologist occurred: Marlena demanded that Rachel continue therapy, while Sarah stopped her with the reason “she’s not ready”.

On one side is the truth, on the other is maternal love – and that line is as thin as a sheet of paper. The next episode is predicted to make fans “cry”, when Marlena forces Rachel to look straight at the fateful moment that all of Salem wants to bury.